The information in the table above is just a factious representation of the choices you may have available once you fill out the form a the top on the page. The actual rates may differ. The Monthly Payments represented above are calculated assuming a property value of $400,000 and a downpayment of 15%.
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Finally ready to buy that dream home you’ve always wanted and need the best mortgage rates in Alberta? LoansGeeks.com is the best place to get the lowest mortgage rates possible in Alberta! LoansGeeks is quick, easy and doesn’t cost you a dime; we just get you the best possible rate in the fastest possible time! We often get asked how to get a mortgage in Alberta, and we hope this guide will help!
We checked the numbers on the thousands of inquiries on mortgage rates in Alberta that we receive every year, and on average lenders who use LoansGeeks.com save 2.5% from the typical bank rates in Alberta. 2.5% may not sound like a lot, but if your loan is for $400,000 that would save you over $100,000! Our goal at LoansGeeks is to find you the best mortgages in Alberta and save you as much money as possible!
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Mortgage Calculator Alberta
Perhaps the most important step you can take in this process is to budget, budget, budget! And, that is best done with a Mortgage Calculator for Alberta. When jumping into a huge endeavour like buying a house, a lot of people only consider the cost of the mortgage alone, but there’s so much more to it than that!
Down payments, insurance, land transfer taxes, lawyers, real estate agents, inspections, appraisals and more! You may not need to pay for all of these, but it’s better to know the possibilities and be prepared. You don’t want to jump into the pool, only to discover there isn’t any water!
Make sure when you choose a mortgage calculator for Alberta specifically to make sure it’s accounting for your provinces taxes, rules and regulations. Mortgage rates for Alberta differ from the other provinces and you’d hate to have done all this planning, only to discover the calculator was accounting to Manitoba’s rates instead!
Have you considered how much to pay upfront? It may seem ideal at first to only make a down payment of 5 – 10%; that is until you factor in the mortgage insurance you’d have to pay on all mortgages with a down payment of less than 20%. If you make that 20% down payment instead, it’s more money to part with upfront, but could save you thousands of dollars in the long run!
Alberta is actually one of only two provinces (the other being Saskatchewan) that doesn’t have a land transfer tax, but there is still a land transfer registration fee, along with a mortgage registration fee. This is much cheaper than in provinces like Ontario and British Columbia, but it’s important to know nonetheless. Every dollar counts when it comes to planning for your future home.
Mortgages rates in Alberta are at a pretty historical low for the last 70+ years, so now is a great time to buy, and a mortgage calculator will be a huge help! You need to consider every possible option, and that’s why a Mortgage rate calculator designed for Alberta is key for you!
Mortgage Brokers Alberta vs The Banks
A lot of people tend to jump to the bank they’re already signed up with to get their mortgage, which does have its benefits, but it’s not always the ideal or best way get the best mortgage rates in Alberta. With the bank, especially if it’s your own, there’s familiarity and comfortability, easy access to your banking history and more perceived legitimacy, responsibility and accountability held by the banks.
But, those same things aren’t exclusive to banks, and often times it is beneficial to go with a mortgage broker in Alberta instead, as they give you more options, ease your process and do all they can to bring you the absolute cheapest Mortgage rate in Alberta. They work for you, and that value is tough to beat.
If you don’t know, a mortgage broker is a middle man between you and the mortgage lenders in Alberta, be it a bank or a private lender. They work on your behalf to score you the best mortgage rates in Alberta. What’s great about a good mortgage broker is that they have connections that you don’t and as such they have access to deals that a lot of people cannot get on their own. Your mortgage broker will work with you, and find solutions for any potential problems that you just cannot solve.
A CMHC survey, which can be found at: https://www.canadianmortgagetrends.com/2007/02/latest_mortgage/, in 2006 shows that about 27% of Canadians use mortgage brokers, while a CIMBL survey that same year has the number at about 31%. Surveys that year also showed that only about 43% of mortgage seekers looked for several different offers. That’s a lot of people who just settled for the first offer they got, rather than taking the time to look for the best rate possible to save as much money as they can. That’s money that you can put back into your home, whether it’s renovations, decorating or even making a bigger down payment on the mortgage.
When looking for the best rate you can find, it’s important to compare all mortgage rates for Alberta to see what the best option really is. While mortgage rates in Alberta are low across the board, it’s still important to actively look for the best deal you can find.
Private Mortgage Lender Alberta
Everyone’s situation is different and for some people getting their mortgage through the bank is their best or preferred option. But, not everyone can or wants to use the bank. Whether it’s jacked up rates or the dreaded “No”, sometimes it is better or necessary to choose between private mortgage lenders in Alberta.
So, what exactly is a private mortgage lender and what are the pros? A private mortgage lender is a company or person that may specialize in loans of all kinds, and offer competitive (often better) rates than the bank and accepts a wider variety of credit rates. Private lenders in Alberta are especially great for people with bad credit seeking a mortgage in Alberta. They have to apply for licences and follow certain guidelines provided by the province(s) they operate within, but are usually more forgiving of bad credit and those who cannot get loans with the bank. Depending on your credit score, they may have rates below or above the average mortgage rates in Alberta.
However, it’s not all perfect to use private mortgage lenders in Alberta, there are some downsides and cons that come with going through a private lender instead of bank. One typical con is that their terms are often shorter than banks, and as such tend to have higher monthly payments making them tougher to pay back. Another con is while private lenders can have better rates for those with good credit, for those who don’t (but are still able to get approved) the interest rates can often be much higher, as extra insurance or a cost for having poor credit. These high risk mortgage lenders in Alberta make you balance if the risk of their higher mortgage rates compared to the average in Alberta, shorter loan times and higher potential to default on the loan are worth taking the plunge now, versus waiting until you’re more stable financially and have a better credit score.
Not everyone is in the same situation, so it’s important to have a read on where your credit standing is, the funds you have available to you and your financial security going forward. Private lenders can be great, or disastrous, it all depends on your particular situation. Research and preparation is key.
Fixed vs. Variable Mortgage Interest Rates Alberta
Another important decision when it comes to deciding on your mortgage is whether to go with a fixed rate or a variable rate. The first key in making that decision is knowing what each kind of rate is and the pros and cons associated with each.
Firstly, a fixed rate is the most commonly used one with about 66% of all mortgage rates in Alberta being fixed rates. This means that whatever the rate for your monthly payments is at the beginning, it’ll remain constant throughout. The benefit for that is once it’s been decided, it never changes. You know what to expect every month and if an unexpected dramatic increase in the prime rate occurs, you won’t get stuck having to pay a newly exorbitant rate each month. It offers security, but that security can come at a premium cost as well. Fixed rates never give you the best possible mortgage rate in Alberta at the time you sign it and you often will pay more over the lifetime of the agreement. So, finding the best 5 year fixed mortgage rates in Alberta are crucial to maximizing your savings if you choose this option. A fixed rate is by far the most widely used for a reason, it’s the simplest to understand and the safest to use.
Next up is the variable mortgage rate. This is rate that can fluctuate from month to month, as your monthly payment relies on the prime rate at that time, and not a single rate agreed to at the time. You agree to a rate described as “Prime +/-“which could be Prime – 0.25%. This means that the best variable mortgage rates you can find in Alberta would ones that are even less than the Alberta Prime rate. Variable rates give you the best chance to find the best possible mortgage rates in Alberta at the time you sign it. For a variable rate, the pros come in when the prime interest rate stays low, or even drops. Your rate at the start would typically be lower than on a fixed rate, so if it stays consistent, you’d have a lower rate, and if it drops then you’d pay even less. With the prime rate being pretty consistent over the last 10 years or so, now it would seemingly be a good bet and could save you a lot in the long run. However, the biggest con is in the lack of security from a spike in the prime rate. If something major happens to increase the prime mortgage rates in Alberta rapidly (such as another crash of the housing market) it could be disastrous as it would leave you on the hook to pay way more than you could have possibly budgeted for. About 29% of mortgages are on variable rates, with the remaining 5% being some combination of the two.
The decision essentially comes to a risk vs. reward proposition and each borrower needs to assess what their situation is and whether the risk of a variable rate is worth the reward of great savings, or if it’s better to play it safe and stick of a single fixed rate.
Historical Alberta Prime Rates
The Prime rate is the general consensus rate that banks will offer to their highest tier credit customers. Right now, the prime mortgage rate in Alberta is as low as 1.25%, the lowest it’s been since 1935. From the 30’s through the 60’s the rate hovered around 5%, never going too high or too low, that was until the 1980’s when the market crashed and dramatically spiked up to nearly 25%! It’s been on a steady decline since, with short spikes about every 5 years or so, until it finally began to plateau in the 2010’s being the lowest it’s been in 70+ years. It’s been a long time since mortgage rates in Alberta were low and consistent for this long and that’s great for current and prospective homeowners!
Alberta Mortgage Rates Forecast
Now certainly seems the best time to buy a house, as mortgage rates in Alberta are at a historical low point and will only go up. Alberta mortgage rates forecast to rise 2-8% over the next several years meaning that mortgage rates in Alberta are only going up. As noted early, even just 2% may seem very little, but can make a world of difference when buying a home. As the economy continues to improve, more people may jump into the market. This means that mortgage rates in Alberta which would be a great opportunity for banks and lenders to start increasing their rates, as the demand will be there.
Alberta Housing Market
For the last several years, as gas and oil prices have decreased, the economy in Alberta has been in somewhat of a slump, and as a result, the housing market follows. But, with 2017 being a year of slow recovery, early 2018 could be the perfect time to buy low before prices begin to rise again. As Calgary continues to grow, especially in the tech and distribution areas, (see Amazon announcing Calgary as a major distribution centre) the economy is heading in an upward trend which may trigger an overall increase of mortgage rates in Alberta. Whether you’re looking to buy your own dream home, or if you’re interested in flipping houses, the first half of 2018 (as rates are expected to increase by the middle of the year) could be a prime time to jump into the housing market.
With all this information, we know you’re ready to start hunting down the best mortgage rates in Alberta, and we at LoansGeeks are here to make that as easy as possible!
There are many lucrative mortgages offers in the Alberta market for first time home buyers. When you apply for a mortgage loan through Loans Geeks, we will match you with some of the best mortgage offers available for your particular situation.
If you apply for a mortgage loan in Alberta via Loans Geeks, typically it will take 2-3 business days to get the reply about the status of your application, although this time might slightly vary from one mortgage loan lender to another.
Some mortgages in Alberta are ported, and the remaining term can be taken to the new property. But, you will be required to get your credit score, and affordability rechecked in case the new house is worth significantly more or less than the one you currently have a mortgage for.
Most mortgage lenders in Alberta allow their borrowers to pay anywhere from 10% to 20% of the original principal amount in each calendar year without inviting penalty. Since different lenders have different ways of implementing the prepayment terms, it is best to read the fine prints even before you secure the mortgage.
If you have poor credit history, it might be difficult to get mortgage application approval. However, as Loans Geeks partners with hundreds of different financial institutions, submit an application and we will try to match you with a loan provider willing to give you a mortgage loan. Still, bear in mind that the terms and interest rates of the offered mortgage loan will depend on your credit score.
A Non-Resident in Canada can get a mortgage and is qualified for the maximum loan to value ratio which is about 65-75%. You will need to provide a few extra documents such as a credit report from the origin country, income proof, and the down payment.